Newcastle kids will have one last chance to enjoy Lambton Swimming Centre’s iconic spiral waterslide before the 22-year-old much-loved attraction gets a replacement.

Locals Bella and Tom enjoying the waterslide at Lambton Swimming Centre. Photo: City of Newcastle

Plans have been progressed to replace the enclosed raft waterslide by City of Newcastle, with the project awarded to Australian Waterslides & Leisure. 

Once the swimming centre closes for the winter the works are due to commence, but kids will have a chance to use the 120m long waterslide during the April school holidays.

Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz said the waterslide had been a huge hit since its installation, with hundreds of people flocking to the pool during the school holidays.

“I encourage local kids, whose parents may have enjoyed climbing up the 9-metre-high tower to splash down the waterslide when it was originally installed in 2000, to take one more slide down the popular attraction before it is replaced,” Cr Winney-Baartz said.   

A like-for-like replacement of the waterslide will be installed and the project will make use of the existing supporting infrastructure. 

The Lambton Swimming Centre was developed as the City of Newcastle’s first inland swimming pool and was opened in 1963.

An average of 184,000 people visit the popular facility annually.   

The new waterslide will be ready to use when the pool reopens for the 2022/23 summer season.

Hayley McMahon